How To Use AI to Create Accessible Worksheets for Special Education Students

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent more evenings than you’d like to admit sitting at your dining room table, resizing fonts, rewriting directions, and cutting down grade-level worksheets just to make them usable for your students. Personally, I teach a mixed-abilities self-contained class, and IEP accommodations aren’t optional, they make or break resources. So when I first heard about TeachShare, I’ll admit I was skeptical. I didn’t want a one-size-fits-all AI tool that didn’t understand my kids. But let me say this clearly: TeachShare gets it. It doesn’t just create worksheets, it builds accessible, differentiated, standards-aligned resources that respect the reality of teaching special education. And it’s become one of my most-used planning tools.

Why SPED Teachers Need More Than Just “AI Help”

Special education planning is a whole different ballgame. I need resources that:

• Break down concepts without watering them down

• Offer multiple access points for mixed levels

• Support executive function with clear, structured layouts

• Align with general ed standards while honoring IEP goals

Most worksheet creators? They’re not built for that. They’re built for speed, not support. However, what I've discovered that TeachShare is different, it’s designed with differentiation in mind, not as an afterthought.

How I Use TeachShare to Build SPED-Friendly Worksheets

Step 1: Launch the Creator

I log into TeachShare, click “Create Any Resource,” and choose to start from scratch. Sometimes I also upload older PDFs or slides I’ve used in the past that need accessibility updates (yes, even the ones saved as “final_final_FINAL”).

Step 2: Set Up My Parameters

This week, I made a reading and writing resource on “Community Helpers” for my 4th graders.

Here’s what I selected:

• Topic: Community Helpers

• Grade Level: 4th

• Boost: Scaffolding Boost 

• Lesson Phase: Practice

Step 3: Let TeachShare Generate It

And BOOM, I got:

• A short passage about firefighters and rescue workers written at a simplified Lexile level

• Multiple choice questions

• A sorting activity

• A reflection question

• Clear directions and generous white space

I was ready to use it as-is. That never happens with other tools.

Step 4: Personalize for My Students

One of my students struggles with written responses, so I used the built-in AI chat and typed: “Can you turn the final question into a multiple choice” It revised the question right away, no formatting hiccups, no lost work.

Step 5: Export for Multiple Formats

Depending on the day, I need to offer resources in different ways. With TeachShare, I can:

• Post it digitally to Google Classroom for my 1:1 device kids

• Download a PDF for print-based instruction

• Assign Online with auto-grading for basic practice

Step 6: Review the Built-In Teacher Guide

Every worksheet comes with a Teacher Guide that includes:

• A breakdown of what accommodations and supports were used

• A clean answer key

When my admin asked for a sample IEP-aligned activity during our last observation, I handed them the guide. No extra work on my part :)

Why This Works Better Than ChatGPT for SPED

Look, I’ve used ChatGPT. I've found it beneficial for inspiration. But here’s what I always ran into:

• Had to write hyper-specific prompts

• Had to manually format, review, and retype everything

• Rarely got anything SPED-friendly without multiple revisions

TeachShare skips that entire headache. The supports are baked in. And it’s designed with a teacher’s brain in mind: structure, clarity, and flexibility.

Real Talk: It’s Helped Me Show Up Better for My Kids

This tool hasn’t just saved me time. It’s saved my energy. I no longer dread building differentiated materials from scratch. And because I’m not stuck in the prep spiral, I have more time for:

• Supporting behavior plans

• Collaborating with General Education teachers

• Leading small groups and collecting real data

• Connecting with my students and understanding what they need

That’s what teaching in SPED is really about, not paperwork, but being present with your students.

Final Thoughts: For My Fellow Special Educators

If you’re tired of doing five times the planning to make one resource usable, I feel you. I’ve been there. But TeachShare has made a real difference in how I prepare, and how confident I feel walking into class with materials I know my students can actually access. It’s not just AI. It’s AI that understands SPED. If you’re curious, start by making one worksheet. Add a boost. Try it out. You might find yourself with more time to breathe, and more energy to do what you actually love about this job. You’ve got this. And now, you’ve got a tool that’s on your side too.